No apples no acorns=No deer
Connecticut
Just about opposite here, acorns seem abundant and have had pretty good activity on trail cams. I also noticed the woods are full of greens (leaves, ferns etc) from all the rain
My areas seem to have a decent acorn crop and no where near as much gypsy moth damage as last year.
I've seen a good number of acorns in areas here in MA, and also some NE corner state land I like in CT... Apples seem low this year compared to the past couple - but that's just based on the apple trees in my neighbor's yard and parents yard, I dont have any hunting areas with apples :)
Seems to be an abundant acorn crop here along the coast. I haven’t checked in on any of the white oak groves yet but from what I see on the black, red and pin oak trees, it looks like a good crop
I live in Burlington and the oaks in my backyard are loaded this year.
My two apples trees in my yard are flush with fruit. They just started dropping apples this week. Haven’t been out to check any acorns. Usually don’t do that until I’m actuality out hunting.
I have plenty of acorns in my area. No apple trees... I have two nice bucks on my cams but haven't seen them in two weeks.
If you look at the year by year harvest totals, the years when there are poor acorn crops usually result in a LOT more deer being shot because they have to move around more in search of food as opposed to bedding and feeding int he same spot. SWK, consider yourself lucky if you are in a region with low acorn production.
From where I am, I'm seeing more hickory nuts than acorns. Are they preferred more than acorns?
"SWK, consider yourself lucky if you are in a region with low acorn production."
Not always the case N8. When I have no acorns on my permissions, there are no deer. Not totally void of deer but very few sightings in comparison. The deer tend to feed and bed a few hundred yards off the property on the neighbors land where the green fields are. I know this because I've seen as many as 17 deer in the neighbor's field as I left the woods. When acorns are plentiful, I see deer all over the place and have a good season. The last two seasons have been frustrating with little deer activity on the land I hunt. Even though, overall in the state those numbers do show low acorns, more kills.
I know a lot of folks go with the low acorns = more deer thing, but, my experience is like Brian's. I'm certainly no master, so maybe when there are lots of nuts the deer just wander more and my low skill level results in more success than years where you have to really find the travel they are on. That could certainly be... But overall, more acorns is good for me.
The science nerd in me though cant help but think I'm just an ignoramous given the "research" would suggest more nuts, worse hunting...
Will, you and Brian seem to be exceptions to the rule. All that means is that where you hunt, the years that there are no acorns, the deer in your areas seem to have an excellent secondary preferred food source. It also means when there are years of plenty acorns, your property seems to hold the preferred trees that are dropping
Have acorns dropping in my yard but haven’t seen any in the woods yet.
Brian - Check out the graph on page 13 of this DEEP report. It is pretty clear that years with high acorn production equal lower deer harvests and when acorns are scarce, more deer are killed. These are totals for the whole state, so some locations will vary. If you aren't seeing deer on the property you have access to when acorns are scarce, it just means the deer are eating somewhere else.
I totally agree N8. I get excited when there are no acorns, figuring I'll see a bunch of movement from bedding to feeding and back, then I don't see what the rest of the state sees. I don't have but one small 1/4ac field, the rest is oaks mostly. When they aren't eating acorns, they seem to bed on other properties. The guy next door might be hammering them and see totally opposite of what I see only a couple hundred yards away. Location, location, location.
Ok so I took a walk yesterday to look for acorns dropping and of course deer activity in conjunction with the acorns Not only did I not see one tree dropping but I didn’t see any deer sign period. I’ll give it another week and try again
Longbeard, I appreciate that. First, it's a good insight. Second, it suggests I am lucky and may have a little skill :) ha ha ha.
In thinking about it, I've always been one of those hunters who's excellent at getting into a decent position, but who's often 40yds to far one way or another. Now, take a year with lots of nuts, and the deer likely wander more, vs using specific paths. My tendency to over think may not help, but it may hurt me less in years with lots of nuts, because if they are just wandering a hill side for example, my over thinking, less precise perhaps, stand placement may allow better opportunities.
Conversely on a year with fewer nuts, I may over think and end up to far off the better spot.
This is almost making me hope to have some low nut areas this year that I can experiment with...
This can be considered GOOD luck or Bad, depends on how you use the information. The deer may be in another area where a current food source is readily available, so be flexible and find that spot and hunt it. Also, when the current food source dies off the deer will be moving more to find other sources, so in a few weeks the picture can change again, for the better in your area.
I have never bought into the less acorns is good for hunting thinking. Where I hunt in big woods areas it has always been the opposite. No acorns makes for a lean year for deer sightings.
i some whites sunday....t not a ton but a few. usually its the week after opener they really start coming down
Toonces it’s all relative to where you hunt and the size of the property you hunt. If your hunting a small parcel in Ffld Cnty, there is no wandering to look for the tree that is producing. Therefore, years of little to no acorn mast, your baiting station should be king. Conversely, if you are on a large property, scouting and adjusting to food sources is key
That sounds good on paper, but I have found the reality to be different. If your hunting big state forests and the acorns are down, they tend to be down everywhere. I suppose you could get lucky and stumble on the only tree dropping nuts within the surrounding 500 acres, but probably not. Plus I am way too lazy to search for that tree.
I just go in with the mindset that it is extremely unlikely I am going to see anything. Bucks will still eventually use the same travel routes based on topography, not food during the rut. It can be a mind numbing grind, but if you stick it out long enough something will walk by eventually.
The biggest deer I ever killed in CT was during a barren acorn year and it was one of the only deer I saw the entire season.
Even in years of tremendous mast I have found that all oaks are not created equal. If you pay attention to the deer sign every oak grove has a tree or two that are preferred over the others. If you can wander and then observe, you can find “the” tree. Your legs will get you there, your eyes will tell you where “there” is and the deer will confirm your in the right place. Once I find that tree or trees, I keep an eye on it when there is a good acorn year and it seems that tree is the favorite every year. I suspect it has to do with the amount of tanic acid in the nuts which leads to a palatable preference. I think back on the many years that I would take walks in the woods at this time of year, when I cannot Hunt due to work commitments, and I would see a ton of buck sign in a relatively small area. When I was younger I didn’t know what it all meant but obviously I figured it out as I got older. But this year no such sign, so far
The more acorns there are the shorter distances deer have to travel from their preferred safety areas to find them. It's very hard to get close enough to catch them on their feet in daylight without blowing them out when trying to hunt oak stands on years when they are producing well. Often you are either not close enough or too close. Makes for a lot of complaining about an "October lull".
That said, I'm seeing white oaks producing exceptionally well this year in my areas.
